1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to safety release devices for releasing closure latches and, more particularly, to a safety release device for releasing the latch of a closure of a storage compartment, such as a motor vehicle trunk lid, from the inside of the storage compartment. The present invention is also directed to a release latch and storage compartment utilizing the safety release device and to a method of installing the safety release device.
2. Background Information
Motor vehicle trunks are usually secured in the closed position by a latch mechanism operable only from the exterior of the trunk lid. A rotary cylinder lock has a release arm which operatively engages a latch release of the latch mechanism. Upon turning of a key in the cylinder lock, a rotation of the release arm about its longitudinal axis is effected which trips the latch release to disengage the latch mechanism and open the trunk.
Although the prior art discloses several devices for remotely releasing the trunk latch mechanism from inside the passenger compartment, there is a lack of a simple, cost effective means for opening the trunk lid from within the trunk compartment. Thus, it has happened on occasion that children have accidentally locked themselves in automobile trunks and have been unable to get out. Even adults have found themselves locked in automobile trunks under varying circumstances. For example, there have been instances where individuals have been kidnapped and taken as hostages and, in order to transport them from one place to another without detection, they are hidden in the trunk of an automobile. In some cases, the automobile is abandoned with the individual in the trunk or the person simply left in the trunk for long periods of time, with resultant death or serious physical harm due to lack of air or exposure to cold or heat. In these cases, even if any tool were available to the individuals within the trunk compartment, the average person would lack the necessary skill to open the trunk in the dark.
There have been proposals for means whereby a person within a locked automobile trunk could release the latch from inside and without use of a key. An example of one such proposal is in U.S. Pat. No. 3,992,909. However, the mechanism shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,992,909 is quite complicated and requires several manipulations including first declutching an inner member for the key lock. Furthermore, the remotely controlled latch arrangements previously referred to might conceivably be manipulated from within the trunk to release the lid but they involve rather complicated mechanisms to be installed by the manufacturer. Examples of such proposals are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,016,968, 3,062,033, 2,877,038 and 3,985,381. In each of those devices the latch mechanism itself must be modified, at the time of manufacture, to accommodate or provide for the remote control mechanism.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,445,326 discloses a release assembly that may be actuated by a person inside a trunk by pulling a flexible cable coupled to a detent lever within the latch pulled by a person to open the trunk. However, such a release assembly requires a permanent connection to the trunk lock and thus cannot be readily installed in and removed from existing trunk locks. Furthermore, such release assembly cannot be deactivated temporarily at times when interior lock access is not wanted.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a safety release device for releasing the latch of a closure of a storage compartment from the inside of the storage compartment.
Another object of the present invention to provide a safety release device for vehicle body closure latches, such as an automobile trunk lock, which permits the opening thereof from within the vehicle body as well as by use of conventional key means from outside the vehicle body.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a safety release device for vehicle body closure latches which may be economically produced and applied to new vehicles, or which permits ready conversion of the closure latches of existing vehicles.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a safety release device which can be readily connected to a vehicle body closure latch and which, by visual inspection by someone within the vehicle body, would immediately indicate the purpose and manner of actuation of the safety release device to actuate the release of the vehicle body closure latch.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved safety release device for a trunk compartment that facilitates quick and easy self-extrication of a person trapped in the trunk compartment.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a safety release device for vehicle body closure latches that is easy to activate and does not require significant manual dexterity or strength to activate.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a safety release device for a vehicle trunk lid that can be easily activated by someone who does not have knowledge of its existence prior to entering the trunk compartment.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a safety release device for vehicle body closure latch that can be selectively connected to and disconnected from the latch.
Another object of the present invention is to provide safety release device that may be installed as a retrofit kit on existing vehicles or as original equipment on new vehicles.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a safety release device for the locking mechanism of automobile trunk lids that can readily be operated in the dark by a person trapped within the trunk compartment.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a safety release device for a trunk compartment lid which includes a release handle having a luminescent coating so that the release handle is readily visible by a person located inside the trunk compartment.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a safety release device for trunk lids which can be operated manually by one hand from inside the trunk compartment and which can be located and identified by touch alone.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an extremely simple, safe and reliable safety release device operable from inside a trunk compartment to permit opening of the trunk lid to gain access from the compartment interior.
Another object of the invention is to provide a safety release device by which persons locked within a trunk compartment can readily extricate themselves by simply pulling a ring located inside the trunk lid adjacent to the trunk locking mechanism.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a safety release device that adequately performs its function when installed in trunk compartments of a wide variety of motor vehicles; yet is of compact construction with a minimum number of parts.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a safety release device for vehicle body closure latches which is of a durable and reliable construction.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a release latch utilizing the safety release device of the present invention.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a storage compartment utilizing the safety release device of the present invention.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a method of installing the safety release device of the present invention.
In addition to the numerous advantages apparent from the foregoing discussion, the present invention has the further advantages of simplicity, ruggedness, durability, and ease and economy of construction and installation. The novel safety release device can be constructed from standard parts, all of which are commercially available, and can be manufactured and assembled and installed with relatively few and inexpensive tools.
The foregoing and other objects of the present invention are carried out by a safety release device comprising a release handle, and a flexible cable having first and second end portions for connection to the release handle and an intermediate portion disposed between the first and second end portions for operative engagement with a detent lever of a latch of a vehicle body closure so that the detent lever may be released by pulling on the release handle.
In another aspect, the present invention is directed to a release latch having a housing having an aperture therethrough, a latching lever pivotally mounted to the housing for receiving and capturing a catch, and a detent lever pivotally mounted to the housing for releasably securing the latching lever upon reception of the catch by the latching lever. A release handle is disposed exteriorly of the housing. A cable has first and second end portions connected to the release handle and an intermediate portion disposed between the first and second end portions. The intermediate portion extends through the aperture of the housing and operatively engages the detent lever so that the latching lever may be pivoted to release a captured catch by pulling the release handle to release the detent lever.
In another aspect, the present invention is directed to storage compartment comprising a body defining an interior space, a closure for closing the interior space, a catch connected to the body, and a release latch connected to the closure for releasing the catch. The release latch has a housing having an aperture therethrough. A latching lever is pivotally mounted to the housing for receiving and capturing the catch. A detent lever is pivotally mounted to the housing for releasably securing the latching lever upon reception of the catch by the latching lever. A release handle is disposed exteriorly of the housing. A cable has first and second end portions connected to the release handle and an intermediate portion disposed between the first and second end portions. The intermediate portion of the cable extends through the aperture of the housing and operatively engages the detent lever so that the latching lever may be pivoted to release a captured catch by pulling the release handle to release the detent lever. Thus the latching lever captures the catch when the closure closes the interior space of the body. The catch is released from the latching lever from within the interior space of the body by pulling the release handle to release the detent lever
In another aspect, the present invention is directed to a method of installing a safety release device to a latch assembly for releasing a detent lever of the latch assembly from the exterior of a housing in which the detent lever is disposed. The method comprises the steps of providing a safety release device having a release handle and a cable having a first end portion, a second end portion and an intermediate portion disposed between the first and second end portion, inserting the first end portion of the cable into the housing through an aperture thereof, engaging the intermediate portion of the cable with the detent lever, removing the first end portion of the cable out of the housing through the aperture thereof, and connecting the first and second end portions of the cable to the release handle so that the detent lever is released from the exterior of the housing by pulling the release handle.